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Sociolinguistics from the Periphery "presents a fascinating book about change: shifting political, economic and cultural conditions; ephemeral, sometimes even seasonal, multilingualism; and altered imaginaries for minority and indigenous languages and their users."

SUMMARYMiki Makihara and Bambi B. Schieffelin's volume is a collection of ten chaptersthat together make a case for the importance of considering language ideologiesas central to an understanding of Pacific history and culture. The volume beginswith a historical overview by Makihara and Schieffelin, followed by a microstudyof Honiara by Christine Jourdan. Makahara then explores linguistic purism inRapa Nui and Kathleen C. Riley covers shifting language ideologies in theMarquesas of French Polynesia. Rupert Stasch examines the concept of othernessin relation to Korowai metalanguage. Joel Robbins studies language and exchangein Urapmin culture, while Schieffelin and Coutrney Handman provide distinct butinterlocking views on missionization in Papua New Guinea. The studies concludewith Susan U. Philips considering the changing use of Tongan language honorificsover time. The volume includes a postscript written by J. Joseph Errington,which is designed to unify the works under the single theme.

EVALUATIONMakihara and Schieffelin make clear in the introduction that their concerns inthis volume are exclusive to the Pacific, which bodes well for the depth ofresearch and insight they are able to achieve. Even if only in the introduction,however, the editors might have done well to include a general indication ofmore broad historical, cultural and linguistic research. An unfortunate effectis the editors' insinuation that the Pacific is not only unique in the richnessof its linguistic history and environment but is the only place where suchnuances of contact could occur. Certainly it would be more productive toappreciate the singularity of the Pacific experience while also considering thepotential for global applicability.

Following the editors' introduction is Christine Jourdan's microstudy of theSolomon Island's capital city, Honiara, and the linguistic lives of itsresidents. Jourdan's keen insights are both aptly observed and eloquentlystated. Her observation that Honiara is characterized by ''a form of exacerbatedotherness that leads residents to be almost obsessively interested in knowingpeople's cultural origins'' (37) typifies the depth and maturity of her account.Jourdan also makes perceptive deductions about the role of age in linguisticexpression, concluding, for example, that the insertion of vernacular lexicalitems in the Pijin or English of young speakers is an agentive use of languagedesigned to index specific ethnic identities.

Makahara's exploration of political discourse and newfound linguistic purism inthe Rapa Nui (Easter Island) communities follows smoothly from Jourdan's study.Using political speeches as data and reprinting these data in the chapter,Makihara evinces a solid and sophisticated grasp of the political and culturalnuances of actors in the community. Through observation and discussion withinformants, her conclusion is that purist Rapa Nui is used virtually only insituations where the audience is known to include outsiders (Chilean orotherwise), and that the Rapa Nui she calls ''syncretic'' (a mix of varieties ofRapa Nui and Spanish) is the true default of both everyday life and ''realdiscussions of substance in political discourse'' (64).

Makihara's presentation of concrete data is very welcome and her analysis isskilled, yet in her conclusions she does some politicking herself, declaringthat language ''should be managed and planned by its rightful owners,'' andfurther editorializes on the language use of specific individuals. She describesone speaker as ''choosing his words carefully but eloquently in purist Rapa Nui... painting an image that depicted the language as enjoying an autonomousexistence and agency that stood apart from everyday language use'' (62). Makiharaclearly has a high respect for how the Rapa Nui use purist registers as a showof solidarity against outsiders, but her penchant for editorializing risksdiminishing the quality of her academic conclusions.

In recording shifting language ideologies in the Marquesas of French Polynesia,Kathleen C. Riley demonstrates a firm grasp of community dynamics, drawing onobservations and study conducted during visits in both 1993 and 2003. Riley'sexploration of code-switching between mainly 'Enana and French (but includingEnglish and Tahitian), and the attending ideologies, is an easy yet ample read.Riley tells the story of shifting beliefs in almost narrative form, displaying ahumanistic sensibility and skill with storytelling that is rare in academia andwhich complements her scholarly observations.

Rupert Stasch examines Korowai metalanguage to analyze how otherness isconstructed in talk about the Indonesian language. In doing so, he presents asketch of both the Korowai language and world-view, ultimately making aconvincing argument for the Korowai's reflexive conceptualization of othernessand their multifaceted relationship with other languages and cultures. Stasch'schapter is both insightful and intriguing, and is persuasive in its argument forthe value of studying Korowai both in its own right and as a means to illuminatelinguistic practice in other communities.

Joel Robbins' chapter discusses the ideology of exchange as it relates to bothlanguage and material in Urapmin culture. Robbins cites evidence that thepre-Christian Urapmin society placed uniquely high value on materialgift-giving, while the new constraints of Christianity call for speech (and notmaterials) to be regarded as the highest and most truthful form of exchange.Robbins provides an impressive and thorough exploration of contemporary Urapminculture, using the intersection of language and religion as a vehicle toilluminate current tensions in Papua New Guinea fostered by the meeting oftraditional ideas and Protestant dogma.

The next two chapters both explore missionization and bible translation work inPapua New Guinea. In her chapter on the language ideology of the Bosavicommunity, Schieffelin paints a comprehensive and absorbing picture of therestructuring of Bosavi language as a result of Christian influence -specifically, changes to the Bosavi attitude toward reporting the thought andspeech of others. Schieffelin relates that prior to missionary influence, it wasunheard of or taboo in Bosavi culture to speculate on the thoughts and internalstates of others. The new lexical additions making this possible, Schieffelincontends, index a modern Christian identity among the Bosavi who employ thisspeech register. By focusing on this specific ideological interplay while alsoconsidering other concerns of language and culture, Schieffelin provides athorough yet focused study of Bosavi's changing linguistic landscape.

The second piece on bible translation, from Coutrney Handman, concerns theobjectives of the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). The SIL's coreobjective is to translate the New Testament into every language, and Handman'schapter is an exploration of the specific situation of the SIL in Papua NewGuinea. Unfortunately, in contrast to Schieffelin's scholarly tone and approach,Hardman's article reads at times like an extended brochure for the SIL. Carefulto note that she is not connected with the SIL, her descriptions of SIL activityseem nonetheless fundamentally biased towards appreciating its goals, describingSIL members as ''hard workers'' faced with ''demanding requirements''. Hardman'sworkers are gallant individuals who recognize ''the enormity of their task'' but''vowed to continue their work'' and to make ''a success of Vision 2025'' (Vision2025 is the SIL project whereby New Testament translations will be started forevery language ''lacking'' one). In Handman's prose, changes are ''envisioned''despite the ''tall order'' of the project, and the people of Papua New Guinea arethe ''people [SIL members] work with and try to help''. Handman also speaks ofPapa New Guinea residents as having a ''need for the translators'', andrhetorically asks why one group is ''just as deserving'' as another of a NewTestament translation. To ask this question is to presuppose that a NewTestament translation is a positive prize to be earned; an assumption that maynot appeal to the sensibilities of all readers. Hardman's chapter has someinteresting insights, but to achieve an academic reading necessitates holdingthe article and its author's seeming partiality at arm's length. Handman'sinsights, thus, might be no more compelling than those gleamed from a scholarlyand secular reading of missionary literature.

The final chapter, in which Susan U. Philips considers the changing use ofTongan language honorifics over time, is complex and multifaceted but, despitethis, methodologically sound and sure. Philips provides a detailed introductionin easy but informative prose, using examples from English and Korean to clarifyand contextualize the subsequent Tongan data. In doing so she provides aninteresting picture of culture, politics, and history as it relates to thePolynesian nation-state. By far the most thorough and conclusive article in thevolume (Philip effectively argues for honorific change being a result ofEuropean colonialism), Philip's work forms a fitting conclusion to Makihara andSchieffelin's collection.

The Postscript, written by J. Joseph Errington, is an effort at contextualizingthe collection. Errington sets out to describe how the chapters relate to eachother and to the global literature of language and contact, a consideration thatis deeply needed considering its omission in the introduction. The intent isexcellent, and Errington displays a wonderful grasp on all the topics andcultures explored in the volume; the prose, however, is dense, and instead ofproviding an easy recap or reformulation of the volume, the postscript forms oneof the most opaque and complicated sections of the book. While Errington doesprovide new perspective, it seems the best information can be gleaned from thechapters themselves.

Even if relying solely on the strength of its chapters, however, _Consequencesof Contact_ contains great insight, and the depth of detail it is able toachieve by focusing exclusively on Pacific Societies makes it an importantcollection. Makihara and Schieffelin have compiled a volume indispensable foranyone seeking a deep and comprehensive understanding of modern Pacific languagechange.

ABOUT THE REVIEWERAlexandra (Ally) Burguieres received her master's in linguistics from Georgetownin 2007 and a master's in journalism from the University of Oregon in 2007. Sheis currently working on a PhD in Linguistics with Queen's University in Belfast,Northern Ireland. Her research interests include international media discourse,language and identity, and conversation analysis.